Chemical tags are utilized in a variety of applications. Typically, chemical tags are utilized for monitoring, analyzing, and controlling any number of parameters in a wide range of applications. For example, chemical tags can include one or more atoms and/or molecules that maybe detected through one or more techniques. For example, chemical tags can include radioactive isotopes. Such a chemical tag might be useful where simply the presence of the chemical tag needs to be detected. Chemical tags can also include materials that will fluoresce in response to irradiation by selected wavelengths of radiation. For example, some chemical tags may fluoresce in response to irradiation by ultraviolet radiation.
A variety of means typically are used to detect the presence of the chemical tags. For example, simple visual inspection can detect the presence of chemical tags that emit visible light, or fluoresce, in response to irradiation. In some cases, special films or detectors may be necessary to detect the presence of a chemical tag. For example, films or detectors sensitive to radiation produced by the tag may be utilized.
Chemical tags can be utilized in a variety of applications. Examples of these applications include pollution control, product identification, geological studies, detecting currents in oceans, uptake of materials by plants, among others.